Coupling-centering device.



No. '727,930.- PATENTED-MAY '12, 1903.

H. 1L FORSYTH.

COUPLING GENTEBING DEVIGE.

. APPLIUATION FILED FEB. 26. 1903.

, N0 MODEL.

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UNITED STATES Patented May 12, 1903.

PATENT @EFI E.

COZUPLING-CENTERING' DEVICE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 727,930, dated May 12, 1903.

Application filed February 26,1903. Serial No, 145,207. (No model.)

To aZZ whom, it may concern: I

Be it known that I, HENRY H. FORSYTH, a

citizen of the United States, residing at Ohicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinofs, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Ooupler-Centering Devices, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to coupler-centering devices for railway-cars, having reference more particularly to that class of devices now coming into extensive use in railway practice for automatically centering the couplerheads of draw-bars through the provision of elastic means operating laterally upon the draw-bars to return them to and maintain them in a position substantially coincident with the longitudinal center line of the car except when drawn therefrom under the strains of draft in passing around a curve.

Draw-bar guides have heretofore been devised and employed vin practice wherein the draw-bar guide or centering element is composed of a single part provided with projections or lugs adapted to engage the opposite sides of the draw-bar and normally tend to return it to central position to whichever side the bar is swung. Hitherto, so far as I am aware, such guiding devices have been equipped with a single operating medium in the form of a spring so disposed as to act on the guide and cause it to center the draw-bar to whichever side the latter might be drawn.

For some purposes I have found that a pair of independently-operatingspringsone acting upon the guide when the draw-bar is swung to one side and the other acting upon the guide when the draw-bar is swung to the other sidegive, preferably, results. In the preferred form of my invention the draw-bar guide is in the nature of a plate having vertically-extending guide-lugs adapted to engage the sides of the draw-bar and f ulcrumed at two points on a stationary support, and in connection therewith I employ as a means for returning and maintaining the draw-bar guide in central position a pair of springs so disposed as to operate independently when the draw-bar guide is deflected on its respective fulcrums to one side or the other and with a maximum leverage to return the drawbar guide.

A device which illustrates the principle of ;my invention is shown in the accompanying drawings, wherein Figure 1 is a top plan view of a preferred ,form of my invention, the draw-bar, broken the end of the car-body. Rigidly secured on said carry-iron. is a stationary plate 6, the front margin of which is preferably flush with the forward edge of the carry-iron, while its rear portion is extended for some distance rearwardly of the inner or rear margin of the carry-iron and is somewhat widened and has its edge turned up to form a vertical flange 7. The ends of the flange 7are inwardly turned or curved, as shown at 7 and 7 thereby creating fulcrum-seats for the drawbar guide or saddle, (designated by 8). This latter element isherein shown as in the form of a flat plate provided on opposite edges of its forward end with upstanding lugs 8 and 8 respectively, and at corresponding points on its rear end with rounded projections or knuckles 8 and 8 respectively designed to fulcrum with a rocking movement against the seats formed at 7 and 7 in the flange 7 of the stationary plate 6. The stationary plate 6 is apertured, as shown at 6*, .at points inside and adjacent to the fulcrum-seats, as clearly shown in Fig. 2, to receive depending lugs 9 on the under side of the guide-plate 8, the apertures 6 being large enough to permit considerable play of the lugs 9 therein.

Pivoted in the lugs 9 and extending rearwardly through apertures in theflange 7 are a pair of rods or bolts 10 and 11, surrounded by spiral springs 12 and 13, respectively, these springs being confined between the outer face of the flange 7 and confining nuts 14 and 15 on the outer ends of the rods.

The operation is as follows: When the draw-bar, which is indicated at 16, is swung radially, as in passing around a curve in the direction of the guiding-lug 8, so as to engage and force outwardly the latter, the plate 8 is rocked in its fulcrum-seat 7, and at the same time the opposite fulcrum point or knuckle of the plate 8 is swung out of its seat and in adirection toward the front edge of the carry-iron, whereby the spring 13 is compressed, and thus caused to resist the strain produced by the lateral swing of the draw-bar, during which operation the companion spring 12 is substantially idle. When the draw-bar swings in the opposite direction, so as to engage the guide-lug 8 the converse of this operation takes place, the guide-plate S rocking on its fulcrum-seat 7", compressing the spring 12, while the spring 13 remains substantially unaffected by this movement. It will be observed that the guide-plate 8 thus constitutes,in eftect,a lever between the draw-bar and its actuating-springs 12 and 13,

and by reason of the fact that the springs act upon said plate at points farther distant from the respective fulcrum-points of the plate than will the guide-lugs 8 and 8 the springs exert a powerful action, tending to return the guide-plate, and thus center the draw-bar.

I claim 1. In a centering device for car-couplers, the combination with a stationary support, of a draw-bar-centering guide engaging the draw-bar, and a plurality of guide-operating means serving to center said guide when doflected by the lateral movements of the drawbar, substantially as described.

2. In a centering device for car-couplers, the combination with a stationary support, of a draw-bar-centering guide engaging the draw-bar, and a pair of guide-operating means serving respectively to centersaid guide when drawn to either side, substantially as described.

3. In a centering device for car-couplers, the combination with a stationary support, of a draw-bar-centering guide engaging the draw-bar, and a pair of independently-operating springs connected to and centering said guide when deflected to the opposite sides of the central position, respectively, substantially as described.

4. In a centering device for car-couplers,- the combination with a stationary support, of a draw-bar-centering guide-plate supported thereby and having lugs engaging the sides of the draw-bar, and a pair of independentlyoperating springs serving to center said guideplate when deflected to opposite sides of its central position, respectively, substantially as described.

5. In a centering device for car-couplers, the combination with a stationary support, of a draw-bar-centering guide-plate fulcrumed thereon and having lugs engaging the sides of the draw-bar, and a pair of operatingsprings connected to and independently serving to center said guide-plate when rocked to opposite sides of its central position, respectively, substantially as described.

6. In a centering device for car-couplers, the combination with a stationary support, of a draw-bar-centering guide-plate fulcrumed thereon at two points on opposite sides of its longitudinal median line and having lugs engaging the sides of the draw-bar, and a pair of operating-springs connected to said guideplate also on opposite sides of its central median line and independently serving to center said guide-plate when rocked to opposite sides of its central position, respectively, substantially as described.

7. In a centering device for car-couplers, the combination with a hanger-iron, of a stationary supporting-plate carried thereby and having a pair of fulcrum-seats on opposite sides of its central median line, respectively, a draw-bar-centering guide-plate seated on said stationary plate and fulcrumed in said fulcrum-seats thereof, said guide-plate having vertical lugs engaging the sides of the draw-bar, respectively, and a pair of operating-springs connected to said guide-plate adjacent each of its fulcrum points, respectively, and serving to independently center said guide-plate when rocked to opposite sides of its central position, respectively, substantially as described.

HENRY H. FORSYTH.

Witnesses:

SAMUEL N. POND, FREDERICK C. GoonwIN. 

